Smallies

[jasmillo]

Hit a west side lake in search of smallies and Tiger Musky today with @Kfish. I have a problem. I really want to catch a musky but if there is good smallmouth fishing, I CAN’T STOP fishing for them. @clarkman, what’s the key staying musky disciplined? Maybe if I actually ever hook into a musky, I’ll understand. Until then, I will continue to have this ongoing battle every time I fish lakes like this

Anyway, I digress. Bass fishing was solid. Some small fish early but the quality got better eventually. Big ass chartreuse clouser was the go to fly again. Fun day.

Mountain was out…



We started the day with a handful of little guys.



But it slowly got better.






Two best of the day for me.





Called it a the day with this guy.



Overall, happy with we caught some fish. I am not a bass fisherman. We go out with minimal knowledge, don’t use electronics, etc. I’ll take a day like today anytime, considering we don’t know what the hell we’re doing .

 

[Kfish]

Nothing smallies about those chonks you caught later on with the skull crusher clouser, something I really need to add to the box next time.
Fun times, and amazing how efficient we were with the Terrova motor covering bass grounds.

 

[clarkman]

@clarkman, what’s the key staying musky disciplined? Maybe if I actually ever hook into a musky, I’ll understand.

IMHO, ignore everything else....when your friends are toast and have to leave early (or when they're sending you pic after pic of their epic trout fishing), stay out and make a few more casts or stay an extra hour. Really no substitute for time on the water targeting them specifically...pretty difficult when you're in a dry spell, but often those little things pay off. Oh, and like any other fishing, fish good water well.

On Merwin, there are largemouth, but no smallmouth. luckily, those by-catch largies eat the same stuff that the tigers do & reside in similar places.

 

[Billy]

I love me LM but smallies are so damn fun

 

[jasmillo]

IMHO, ignore everything else....when your friends are toast and have to leave early (or when they're sending you pic after pic of their epic trout fishing), stay out and make a few more casts or stay an extra hour. Really no substitute for time on the water targeting them specifically...pretty difficult when you're in a dry spell, but often those little things pay off. Oh, and like any other fishing, fish good water well.

On Merwin, there are largemouth, but no smallmouth. luckily, those by-catch largies eat the same stuff that the tigers do & reside in similar places.

Trout I can ignore. Caught lots of those over the years. Smallies, especially good sized ones, are tougher for me.

Nothing smallies about those chonks you caught later on with the skull crusher clouser, something I really need to add to the box next time.
Fun times, and amazing how efficient we were with the Terrova motor covering bass grounds.

View attachment 114195

Yeah, my back and head are black and blue I’m sure. Skull crusher = big ass clouser with lead eyes that like to leave a mark. That’s why I am wearing a black hoodie in 75 degree weather. Protection.

I think it helped though. Got the fly deep on a bright, sunny day.

 

[Burt Dagger]

What type of water/structure are you fishing for smallies? I’ve caught them in rivers but so far missed them in lakes

 

[clarkman]

Trout I can ignore. Caught lots of those over the years. Smallies, especially good sized ones, are tougher for me.

You could always upsize your smallie flies (especially hook size), throw on a .018 dia wire bite guard, then mostly fish musky structure (I'm not familiar enough with lake smallies to really know what they prefer). Throw that on your 8wt and call it good...but I'll still stand by my statement above.

 

[jasmillo]

What type of water/structure are you fishing for smallies? I’ve caught them in rivers but so far missed them in lakes

Rocks and stumps. Old pilings. Docks adjacent to rocks and stumps. I see bass boats out in open water sometimes, I assume they are catching fish. Probably fishing structure found with electronics, years of fishing, shared knowledge or all of the above.

You could always upsize your smallie flies (especially hook size), throw on a .018 dia wire bite guard, then mostly fish musky structure (I'm not familiar enough with lake smallies to really know what they prefer). Throw that on your 8wt and call it good...but I'll still stand by my statement above.

Yeah, I think committing to fishing musky is the only real solution. I’ll get there eventually I’m sure.

 

[clarkman]

Yeah, I think committing to fishing musky is the only real solution. I’ll get there eventually I’m sure.

While true (committing to it completely), it certainly isn't for everyone (based on the lack of people I see going for them). Bass fishing is so damn fun though, especially pre-spawn. It can be a pretty tough sell for muskies when it can be multiple trips in between fish hitting the net....especially during the fringe seasons.